Little Girls In The Rain

It's a gray, persistently drizzling day. Cats are hunkered under cars and Mrs. Williams' deck waiting out the chilly wet day. The meth head up the street has already dashed past and will likely dash past a few more times before night fall - going to I don't-want-to-know where. And the little neighbor girl just strolled past my window - back pack in place as though she had forgotten there wasn't any school today. She strolled. Children are far less disturbed by rain than adults. I remember sunny days as a child, but I remember the sound, smell and feel of the rainy ones.
Standing at the bus stop, stooped under my little red plaid umbrella, wearing my red rain boots, I was decked out for the occasion in bright colors as though going to a special event. Just getting ready to head out on a rainy day was a bit ceremonious as I donned my big, flappy raincoat and my feet were stuffed into my almost-too-little rubber boots. It was a big deal. The really lucky kids had Moms who didn't care about all that rain gear - they had the privilege of soaking up the delightful rain and arriving at school looking like little wet dogs.
As soon as I stepped off my stoop I would pause and raise my face to the sky, squinting, giggling and opening my mouth to catch a few drops of rain.
I loved to watch the drops pelting the puddles - I would briefly contemplate their patterns right before I jumped into them, splashing with guiltless joy. I'm pretty sure a lot of Moms who thought they had purchased leaky rain boots, when in reality they would have had to duct taped them around little legs to keep out the water.
The smell of a rainy day was wonderful - damp, clean and wormy. I love that wormy smell and I loved watching earthworms wriggling slowly on the sidewalks, savoring the delicious rain. The boys wanted to throw the worms and I would get angry and scream at them to "stop hurting the worms!". The rain seemed to magnify all the aromas - if it were Spring I could suddenly smell the daffodils as I walked by them, in summer Mr. Frank's tomato plants sent out a spicy green scent. Dumpsters sent out a magnified aroma as well, so I'd hold my little nose and dash past, averting eyes and olfactories to ward off the stench.
I still enjoy the smell of rain although I'm considerably less fond of getting rained upon and it's been a long time since I've watched the pattern of raindrops on a puddle, much less jumped into one.

Just Say 'No' To Free Sperm?

If the government had its' way, and it usually does, no transaction (using the broadest definition of the word) would be free of regulation, certification and/or taxation. This includes the age-old exchange of that microscopically wriggling fluid of life - sperm. Granted, throughout the ages sperm has been exchanged the old-fashioned way, via, ahem, 'direct injection', rather than by clinical methods as it sometimes is today, but sperm is sperm and it has the same effect upon the ovum regardless of how the introductions take place. I have combed the U.S. Constitution and found nothing that even remotely suggests the regulation of the exchange of sperm, yet the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has expressed its' deep displeasure over one man's free and generous donations.
Trent Arsenault is a healthy, intelligent, successful 36-year-old bachelor who has given his sperm on more than 328 occasions to at least 46 women. Fourteen births have been celebrated as a result of his generosity. He is not some Lance Romance seed-sower indiscriminately spreading the love -( not only does the government not care about those guys but it actually supports many of their 'donations' through your tax dollars in the form of SSI); Trent takes the time to get to know the families who benefit from his generosity and even maintains relationships with some of children. And to answer the FDA's claim that he is a public health hazard, he has himself screened every six months for the same diseases and health issues that fertility clinics test for.
My issue is this - WHY is private sperm donorship the government's (or anyone else's) business? Don't FDA officials have their hands full covering for all that money pharmaceutical companies pay to have their drugs approved or being treated for whiplash from looking the other way so often when the food industry is permitted to pump more chemicals into our groceries?
The government is here to protect the people - that protection should never translate into the acts of a tyrannical, overbearing, hovering parent but the FDA and most government agencies don't see it that way. The fact that these Control Freaks are now peeking into bedrooms, bathrooms and reaching down our pants tells me they don't have enough to do. A lot of problems could be solved here - reduce government, save money and get them to keep their hands to themselves by slashing their ranks, thereby creating larger workloads for the few that are left so they don't have time to focus on things that are none of their business. Haven't you ever looked at the neighborhood busybody and thought (or said out loud) "she doesn't have enough to do!"? The FDA is that Busy Body - too many workers without enough to do so they go around making things up to justify their existence.
I can't wait to see how this turns out - I wish all good wisdom and victory to Mr. Arsenault and his attorneys - may they score one for the little guy(s)!
To read about the news that inspired this rant, go to Reuters and read 'California Sperm Donor At Odds ...'.
'California Sperm Donor At Odds ...'.